The city lights glowed in the distance. A pale moon hung over the skyline, calm and indifferent. Ash—no, Kalen Volrik—sat alone on the rusted edge of a rooftop, his legs dangling over the ledge. Below, cars passed, lives moved on.
But up here, time had stopped.
The silence wasn't peaceful. It screamed.
His fists were clenched on his lap.
His breathing was shaky.
His heart, though superhuman now, felt heavier than ever.
He whispered to the wind, "I didn't ask for this…"
The voice in his head—the one he used to silence, the one he feared—finally echoed again.
"But you are Kalen Volrik. You've always been."
Ash shut his eyes. He remembered being a kid, laughing with Rei, chasing after Koharu, cheering when Misaki passed her first magic exam. He remembered losing, learning, bleeding.
He remembered being Ash.
But underneath… underneath was something older. Something darker. A legacy that wasn't his to begin with.
"You awakened when he died. The moment the old Ash's soul cracked, you filled the void."
"Stop," Ash whispered, clutching his head. "I don't want to forget him."
"You didn't forget. You became him. But no one sees that. They only see your origin… not your truth."
Tears slipped down Ash's cheeks. No powers. No strength. Just grief.
He remembered Isamu's final moment—when his blade rose, and Ash, terrified of losing Rei, struck first. And when the dust cleared, Rei looked at him like a stranger.
Just like tonight.
"You saved your friend. And lost yourself."
The moon above didn't judge. It simply watched.
Ash stood slowly, wind brushing his coat. From this height, the world looked small. But his pain was infinite.
"I was a hero once," he muttered. "Now I'm a memory wearing a mask."
He turned his gaze downward.
But didn't jump.
Because he heard a faint sound behind him—footsteps.
He turned slightly.
It was Tenma.
"You're here," Ash said bitterly. "Come to finish what you started? Spread the rest of your truths?"
Tenma didn't speak at first. He just walked forward and stood beside Ash.
"I came to see the Prince," he said quietly. "To see what kind of man he really is."
Ash chuckled dryly. "You've seen him. He's a fraud."
"No," Tenma said. "He's a child. Trapped between two lives, and hated for both."
Ash looked at him.
Tenma continued, "You're not innocent, but you're not evil. You're what people fear—a question they don't want to answer. Are you Ash… or not?"
Ash looked back toward the city. "I don't even know anymore."
"Then maybe," Tenma said softly, "you should stop trying to be Ash. And start being yourself."
Ash didn't answer right away.
After a while, he said, "…They'll never accept me again."
"They might not," Tenma replied. "But maybe it's not about being accepted anymore. Maybe… it's about atonement."
Ash closed his eyes.
The rooftop wind carried the weight of the night.
"Then I'll atone," he whispered.
The celebration had ended.
The music faded. The laughter died. The hotel lights dimmed, leaving behind the eerie quiet of an unfinished chapter.
Rei stood outside on the hotel balcony, the cold air brushing against his face. Inside, Koharu, Luna, Misaki, and the rest tried to sleep. But none of them truly could—not after the truth.
Ash—Prince Kalen Volrik.
The words echoed endlessly in his mind.
"He's not your friend anymore." "He's the one who killed Isamu." "You should've noticed the change."
Rei gripped the railing tightly. His knuckles turned white. His breathing was calm, but every breath felt like fire. Not from anger. But from grief.
Isamu…
The boy with scars on his back and gentleness in his eyes. The man who once said:
"I don't want to kill. I just want to protect."
Rei's chest ached.
I couldn't save you.
And now Ash—the one who fought beside him, bled for him, stood with him—was someone else entirely.
"Was it all a lie?"
"Rei," a voice came from behind.
It was Kaien, carrying a cup of coffee. He walked next to Rei and offered the drink.
Rei didn't take it.
Kaien sipped his own and stared at the stars. "I've seen betrayal, you know. From allies, from kings, from even my own brother once. But this…"
Rei didn't look at him.
Kaien continued. "I don't know if he's Ash. I don't know if he's Kalen. But I know this…" He turned, serious. "He made a choice. And that choice cost Isamu's life."
Rei's voice finally came—low, hollow. "I wanted to save Isamu. I wanted to believe in Ash. But in the end… both were taken from me."
Kaien didn't respond.
The silence between them was heavy.
Then Rei asked, "Did I change, Kaien?"
Kaien looked puzzled. "What?"
"Did I… become something else? Cold. Ruthless. Almirah's power… it's still inside me. I feel it every time I fight. Every time I lose someone."
Kaien placed a firm hand on Rei's shoulder.
"You became a survivor, Rei. You didn't choose this world. But you're still trying to make it right."
Rei's eyes finally left the stars and looked at his reflection in the window glass. His face looked older. Worn. A warrior, not a boy.
The door creaked.
Luna stepped out, holding a small scarf.
"Misaki said you might be cold," she said softly.
Rei gave a faint smile. "Thanks."
She stepped beside him. "You're not alone, Rei. Whatever you decide… we're with you."
Kaien nodded. "We fight as one."
Rei finally whispered, "Then let's find out the truth."
Luna turned. "About Ash?"
Rei shook his head.
"About Kalen Volrik. About me. About this entire world…"
The wind blew across the balcony.
And in that moment—Rei wasn't just a hero.
He was a man standing at the edge of destiny.
The front door creaked open.
Ash stood there—no, Kalen Volrik, reborn in the body of Ash Kurogane.
His eyes, once filled with excitement for returning home, were now dull, clouded with fear and confusion. His hands trembled slightly as he stepped inside the dimly lit house.
"Mom… Dad…" he called softly.
But the moment he entered—
SLAM!
His father Akio Kurogane stormed down the stairs, his face red with fury. Without a word, he punched Ash in the stomach, knocking him to the ground.
Ash gasped, pain surging through his body. "D-Dad…?"
"You dare come here?" Akio's voice thundered like a beast. "You're not my son."
Ash struggled to his knees. "It's still me… Ash—"
WHAM!
A kick slammed into his ribs, sending him sliding into the hallway wall.
"Don't speak that name!!" Akio roared. "Ash died the moment you let that monster inside you! Kalen Volrik? Hah… A murderer! A coward!"
Ash coughed violently. "I didn't… I didn't mean for things to be like this…"
His mother, usually calm and loving, now stood with cold eyes at the end of the corridor. Tears ran down her face, but she didn't move to help him.
"Misaki told us," she whispered, "you killed Isamu."
"I didn't kill him!" Ash shouted through clenched teeth. "He attacked Rei—"
"But Rei wanted to save him," she said, voice shaking. "And you killed him anyway."
Ash's face twisted. "I was trying to protect Rei…"
"You weren't protecting anyone!" Akio shouted. "You were showing off. Proving your bloodline. Proving your royalty. You think we care about that!?"
He picked up Ash by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
"You are NOT my son," he hissed. "Ash would never lie to us. He would never hide something like this. Ash… would never become a monster."
Ash's mouth opened, but no words came out.
Akio stared deep into his eyes, and then—his next words cut deeper than any blade:
"If you ever come back here…
If you ever stand in this doorway again…
I will kill you myself."
Akio dropped him like trash.
Ash collapsed to the floor.
Broken. Trembling. Alone.
He looked toward his mother. One last hope. A final plea.
But she turned away.
And then Rin—his older sister—appeared in the stairway. Her eyes were cold.
"I should've noticed it before," she said. "You're not the brother I knew. You've changed. And not for the better."
The door opened.
Ash slowly stood, limping toward the outside.
Yoji stood still, watching, waiting to strike if he turned back.
Ash looked at them all.
Then without a word…
He stepped into the cold night.
The door slammed shut behind him.
Ash—or Prince Kalen Volrik—walked into the darkness.
The world he tried to protect...
The friends he fought beside...
Even his own family...
All turned their backs on him.
And now... he had no home left.
The city lights shimmered in the distance, but Ash—now fully aware of who he was—stood alone beneath a flickering streetlamp, hands stuffed into his jacket pockets, his breath misting in the cold night air.
His legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees on the pavement, the sound of distant traffic unable to drown out the storm in his chest.
The wind was sharp. But not as sharp as the words his father had said.
"You're not my son."
"I'll kill you myself."
Ash clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms until they bled.
His body trembled—not from the cold, but from the ache in his heart. His voice cracked as he looked up at the empty sky.
"Why…?"
Tears spilled down his cheeks.
"Why am I even alive…?"
He hugged himself tightly, his whole body shaking. The mask he wore as Ash, the strong and joking one, shattered.
"My past life… it was peaceful…" he whispered. "I had a mother who smiled. A kingdom that praised me. I never… I never felt pain like this."
A sob escaped his lips. His tears fell silently onto the concrete.
"I never felt this kind of rejection... this kind of hate."
He gritted his teeth, remembering the look in Rei's eyes. The fear. The betrayal. And the pain.
"Rei… I only wanted to protect you," he muttered. "I thought if I could protect everyone… maybe I could live differently in this life. Maybe I could… atone for what I failed to do as Kalen…"
His voice broke.
"But I failed again."
The night grew colder.
Ash fell completely to the ground, curling up, shoulders shaking violently.
He cried alone.
No guards. No family. No friends.
Only shadows.
And the distant memory of a name he could no longer wear:
Ash.